Hollywood just doesn’t produce martial arts movies the way they used to. Their golden age is long gone, but the genre still has plenty of interesting stories to tell. This one, for example, comes from the mind of the biggest name in martial arts movie history. Warrior began its first season in 2019, its second season premiered in 2020, and it was picked up for a third season in late 2021, ensuring the show will continue. The series was developed for TV by novelist Jonathan Tropper and executive produced by regular Fast & Furious director Justin Lin but originates from a script written in 1971 by the one and only Bruce Lee.
There was a not-insignificant period of time in America when martial arts movies were more commonly referred to as Bruce Lee movies. Not unlike when every game system was misguidedly called a Nintendo. There is no better known martial arts film star and probably no better known martial artist than the man born Lee Jun-fan. The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, and The Game of Death are the five Hong Kong action films that Lee made the landmark for the genre.
On top of starring in the great films of the genre, Lee created his own martial art which has gone on to inform martial arts media even today. Lee also wrote and directed Way of the Dragon, and had a pile of projects he wrote that never made it to the screen after his tragic death. Many of his pitches still sit unproduced, but decades later, a work of his called Ah Sahm found its way to a big-budget adaptation for TV.
Warrior is the tale of the formerly titular Ah Sahm, a master martial artist and Chinese immigrant to San Francisco in the late 1870s. The show is one part period piece and one part martial arts action series. Viewers knowledgeable about this era of American history will find a wealth of fascinating nods and references. Ah Sahm travels to the US in an attempt to find his elder sister, who made the trip years earlier. He instead finds a city embroiled in a brutal gang conflict as the infamous Tong Wars are in full swing.
Ah Sahm is immediately forced to serve one of the most powerful gangs in the city, turning his skills towards violence on someone else’s behalf. Chinese immigration is harshly opposed by the city’s white population and racism against foreign nationals is a regular topic. The show deals with serious issues through the lens of frank reckoning with the harsh experiences of disenfranchised groups. It manages to keep its thoughtful parts intelligent and its more cathartic aspects fun. The intricate plot and engaging historical setting are solid building blocks for the show, but where it really shines is in the action.
As is to be expected of a show with this pedigree, the main mode of an action scene is fast-paced brawls with some stunning martial arts exhibitions. The time period ensures that most conflict is solved with a variety of blades and bludgeons, rather than the standard firearms of American action cinema. Ah Sahm’s role is described as “hatchet-man,” in a bizarrely on the nose term of art.
The action is frenetic, cathartic, and grounded. The most powerful mark of an action project is its ability to communicate character through its conflict, and most of the violence in Warrior carries real meaning. Fighters have recognizably different styles and their skills convey their personalities in a fun and straightforward way. Every battle is a struggle, there are no superheroes here, and that keeps the narrative stakes in a very strong sweet spot. The action is brought across through a solid cast with some impressive credentials.
Leading actor Andrew Koji is a martial artist who trained in Taekwondo for many years and trained in Shaolin kung fu at a UK temple. In addition, he also worked as a stuntman on films such as Fast & Furious 6. Aside from this starring role, he is best known for his role as Storm Shadow in 2021’s Snake Eyes.
Alongside Koji are a great supporting cast, including Olivia Cheng who stars as a powerful madam based on a real historical figure. Cheng previously starred in Marco Polo for Netflix and takes a similarly alluring and dangerous role here with similarly excellent results. Jason Tobin also stars as Ah Sang’s slightly unhinged friend and fellow hatchet man Young Jun. Tobin actually portrays a minor character in two Justin Lin-directed Fast & Furious movies, having worked with the filmmaker numerous times. The cast is solid across the board, with a variety of excellent character performances even from minor roles.
There’s a landmark moment in Fist of Fury in which Bruce Lee vengefully destroys a sign that reads “No dogs and Chinese allowed.” The treatment of the Chinese people has been a crucial part of Lee’s output since the beginning. Real martial arts movie fans know that the best of the genre tells a story and makes a statement through all the feats of human skill. Warrior, for all its faults, is an evolution of a genre that deserves to stay alive.
